Material Design Concepts and Gas Separation Mechanism of CO2 Selective Polyether-Based Multiblock Copolymers

Abstract

Aliphatic polyethers have been widely explored as membrane materials for the separation of CO2 from other gases, e.g., N2, H2, CH4, O2 etc. The polymeric membranes having aliphatic polyether segments, especially poly(ethylene oxide) segments, allow faster permeation of CO2 compared to the light gases due to the affinity of the polar ether oxygen and quadrupolar CO2. Rational macromolecular design is the key to control the permeation of gases through these membrane materials. In this regard, multiblock copolymers having short amorphous polyether segments have been extensively investigated. A large number of tailor made polymers have been reported to get the best combination of permeability and selectivity. Material design concepts and structure–property relationships of these membrane materials in terms of CO2 separation performance are thoroughly discussed in this review.